Center for Advanced Legal Studies would like to extend our special thanks and appreciation to Mr. Ernesto A. González (class of 1990) for his inspiring and entertaining commencement address. Thank you Ernie!

Graduation was streamed live to both YouTube and Facebook. A condensed version was uploaded to YouTube and is available for viewing below.

We are excited to announce that the Graduation Ceremony scheduled for August 19, 2017 will be streamed live on YouTube . The live stream will begin at 10:30AM featuring a presentation recognizing all graduates and including comments by many. The graduation ceremony will begin promptly at 11:00AM.

When I was laid off from the oil business for the second time in my 15-year career, I was in shock. I couldn’t believe I was out of work again. Ups and downs are normal for the energy sector, and Texans are used to it. But the 2014 oil bust in Houston was particularly harsh for me. What was supposed to last a year at most would never come back, at least not like it used to be in the boom days.

By 2015, I had nothing in savings and I needed to work. Because I was a contractor who worked on a project basis, the 2014 down cycle was harder on me because I was not eligible for a severance nor unemployment benefits. Losing my career was not only financially devastating, but emotionally devastating as well. Most of my adult life I had a title and a hefty paycheck, and my identity was tied up in my career. I lost my identity when I lost my job, and I had no choice but to start over. If I wanted to have a better life long term, I had to find a career that was stable and offered more security.